Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

Judicial Q&A: Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton

Two Congressional race updates

This story uses the throughline of John Whitmire’s election as Mayor to discuss the SD15 and CD18 primaries, but I’m just going to focus on the latter. After losing the mayoral election by nearly 30 percentage points, [Rep. Sheila] Jackson … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of February 12

Mike Johnson can’t stop this week’s Texas Progressive Alliance roundup from being passed onto you.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of February 12

We have HCAD candidates

I promised you last week I would check again to see who if anyone had filed for those new HCAD Board Member positions. Here I deliver on that promise. I inquired again with the County Judge’s office, and was given … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Rosalind Caesar

Once more into HD139, where this time we meet up with political veteran Rosalind Caesar. Caesar currently serves on the Board of Harris County Municipal Utility District (MUD) 304, which provides “water, wastewater and in some cases, drainage services” to … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Rosalind Caesar

Judicial Q&A: Ashley Mayes Guice

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Trib covers SD15

There should be more of this. The last time Senate District 15 was an open seat was 1982 — before some of the candidates currently running for it were born. But after four decades, John Whitmire, the former Senate dean … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Trib covers SD15

Paxton prosecutors respond to his “but I’m an orphan!” motion

They’ll fight it out on Friday. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will be in a Houston court Friday in a nearly 9-year-old securities fraud case he is now seeking to dismiss. Paxton could face trial as early as April 15. … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paxton prosecutors respond to his “but I’m an orphan!” motion

Interview with Charlene Ward Johnson

Next up in HD139 is Charlene Ward Johnson, who has served on the HCC Board of Trustees since winning a special election to fill the seat left vacant by Rhonda Skillern-Jones in 2022. On the HCC Board she is the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Charlene Ward Johnson

Judicial Q&A: Justice Peter Kelly

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HISD chooses its longer year calendar

Plan your vacations accordingly. Houston ISD’s appointed Board of Managers unanimously approved a new academic calendar on Thursday that will start the next school year earlier in August and add more days of instruction to students’ schedules. Under the finalized … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD chooses its longer year calendar

Interview with Mo Jenkins

Believe it or not, early voting for the 2024 primaries begins next week. I have a full week of interviews to bring you to get us there. The first three will be for the open seat in HD139, and the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Judicial Q&A: Justice Charles Spain

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Endorsement watch: Allred and more

The Chron endorses Colin Allred in the Democratic primary for US Senate. Texas voters eager to see U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz retire to Cancun permanently, not just on a quick trip during a devastating winter storm, have a choice between … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Allred and more

Weekend link dump for February 11

“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered, and this is why we invest so much, and we are going to continue doing industry-wide efforts to make … Continue reading

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 3 Comments

January 2024 campaign finance reports – Congress

PREVIOUSLY: State offices Harris County offices Senate As noted, we’re still doing the Congressional reports separately until we winnow down the fields. The October 2023 reports are here, the July reports for both Congress and Senate are here, and the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Don’t expect much from that Uvalde grand jury

I mean, I wasn’t, but in case you were, don’t. After more than a year of pressure to file criminal charges against some of the Texas law enforcement officers responsible for the botched response to the Robb Elementary School shooting, … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Don’t expect much from that Uvalde grand jury

Judge Aguilar suspended

As expected. A judge charged in January after a domestic violence allegation by his girlfriend has been suspended from the bench with pay, officials said. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct signed a suspension order Wednesday against 228th District Court … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judge Aguilar suspended

January 2024 campaign finance reports – Senate

PREVIOUSLY: State offices Harris County offices The field is set, with one more person than we had in October. Again, until we’ve narrowed this down to at most two, I’ll do this separately from the Congressional candidates. Here are the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yes, please do investigate Jared Woodfill

Is there a petition I can sign for this? A former client of Houston attorney and Texas House candidate Jared Woodfill is asking state and federal investigators to give fresh scrutiny to a 2017 investigation into allegations that he misappropriated … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The principal shuffle

I have some thoughts about this. The memos came in one after the other, a laundry list of grievances listing all the ways Federico Hernandez was supposedly failing as principal of Houston ISD’s Middle College High School. A teacher used … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Gion Thomas

We wrap up Legislative And Congressional Week #1 with our next contender in CD38, Gion Thomas, who moved to Katy as a 12-year-old in 2005 after being forced out of his home by Hurricane Katrina. A graduate of Katy High … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Gion Thomas

Judicial Q&A: Nicole Perdue

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dispatches from Dallas, February 9 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth we have a lot of election news plus the World Cup and some zoo babies. Since I … Continue reading

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, February 9 edition

Endorsement watch: Two at a time

The Chron is meandering along through their primary endorsements. I can’t complain too much, they’re making progress and we’re still more than a week away from the start of early voting, it’s just that there’s no pattern to it. Whatever. … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Two at a time

Interview with Melissa McDonough

We’re going to finish up the week with two interviews from CD38, the still-new drawn-to-be-red district on the west side of the county. We have two candidates vying for the nomination, and today we will hear from Melissa McDonough, who … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Judicial Q&A: Tracy Good

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Tracy Good

Paxton invokes the “but I’m an orphan!” defense

This fucking guy, I swear. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s legal team is asking a Harris County district judge to dismiss his securities fraud charges, claiming his right to a speedy trial has been violated in the case that has gone … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of February 5

The Texas Progressive Alliance reminds you that candidate filing for those county appraisal district elections that you may or may not be aware of are happening now as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of February 5

Interview with Ashton Woods

Moving to our next contender in HD146 we come to a familiar name. Ashton Woods has been a fixture on the scene as an organizer and activist since moving to Houston from New Orleans in 2005, just before Hurricane Katrina. … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Ashton Woods

Judicial Q&A: Chavon Carr

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Two uphill battles

Two new endorsements from the Chron, in races that aren’t likely to be competitive but whose primaries feature a candidate who’s going to give their best shot and a candidate who’s literally nothing but a name on the ballot. First … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

HCAD candidate filing update

Hey, remember how I said I was going to check and see if we had any candidates for those newly to-be-elected positions on the HCAD Board of Trustees? Well, I checked, and as of yesterday afternoon no one had applied … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Interview with Lauren Ashley Simmons

We move over to HD146 for the next two days. This is the home of the latest problematic legislator, Rep. Shawn Thierry, who has drawn a pair of challengers after making some bad votes and troubling statements on book bans … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Lauren Ashley Simmons